Weekly Summary: June 13 - June 19

6/13 - Off.  Double lower calf blowout from the race this past Saturday.  

6/14 - Off.  Really surprised to still be feeling the after effects of the race.  Apparently, I ran much harder than I thought.

6/15 - 5.5 miles, xx:xx, ~500'v.  Ran Spring Creek Trail with Katy for a couple of miles before continuing up the trail a another mile and half or so by myself.  Legs felt incredibly fatigued at the beginning of the run despite already taking three days off and I could feel the lactic acid in my calves coming back on during the downhill return.  

6/16 - Off.

6/17 - 10.3 miles, 1:40.01, ~1,300'v.  With the snow finally melted all the way up to Dry Creek, I decided to go for what I like to call an "end to end burner" (to borrow a phrase from the graffiti world, meaning to paint a train car entirely from one end to the other) on Spring Creek Trail, so I ran the entire trail from trailhead to terminus and back.   A cool, slightly overcast day was perfect for running and about 3.5 miles into my run I saw and stopped to talk with Adam Sando, who was mountain biking.  He confirmed that the trail was good to go all the way up to Dry Creek.  It was a tough run overall.  It took me a few miles to feel good but it didn't last long and even after the turnaround (5.15 miles, :57.24), I felt like I was working way harder than I should've been.  I hit the 6 mile mark around 1:03, which is what I ran 8+ miles in last weekend.  Ended the run at a casual pace rather than pushing it too hard.

6/18 - Off.  I hadn't planned on taking Saturday off since it is usually an opportunity to run as long as I'd like, but today was different.  One of Katy's dogs, Ulu, had been acting oddly so I dropped him off at the vet (where Katy actually works part-time) in the morning.   They called her and we both met there to find out that his lungs were dangerously full of fluid (possibly the result of an erupted tumor) and that he was having an incredibly hard time breathing.  Under the circumstances, our only choice for treatment was to try and get him over Rabbit Ears Pass and down to the Front Range to run some tests at Colorado State University in Fort Collins.  The down side was that he was in such bad shape and old enough (he was over 11 years old) that he might not survive the trip or tests.  Our only other option was to have him put to sleep, which, sadly, is what we decided to do.  I have lost other pets in the past but never sat and watched as one was given a lethal injection to end it's suffering.  As painful as it was to do, it was the right thing to do and the staff at the clinic were very supportive and kind.  Ulu was a gentle and wonderful companion and we are incredibly sad about losing him so suddenly.   We love you, Monkey Dog.

6/19 - Off.

Weekly Totals:  15.8 miles, ~1,800'v.

Another really low mileage week, but some things are just more important.

Weekly Summary: June 7 - June 12

6/7 - 7.02 miles, 1500'v., 1:09.22.  First summit of Emerald Mountain (el. 8252') this summer as it was finally dry enough to go for a solid uphill effort.  Made it from the truck (parked on the far side of the rodeo grounds next to the ice rink) to Howelsen Hill base area to the summit of Emerald via Blackmere Drive and Lane of Pain in 39 minutes.  I pushed the downhill harder than I had intended, probably because there were a ton of mountain bikers on the hill and I love blowing by mountain bikes.  I ran down the Lupine Trail which has a ridiculous amount of fun switchbacks and technical rocky sections and keeps you nicely shaded in the scrub oak and aspens most of the time.

6/8 - 2.67 miles, ~200'v., :34.02.  Leisurely trail run in Whistler Park with Benihana dog before going home and making some pizza for dinner.

6/9 - Off

6/10 - Off. 

6/11 - 8.19 miles, ~1000'v., 1:03.13, pace:  7:43/mile.  Still a little bit cool at the 10 a.m. start of the Hayden Cog Run.  There were also 5K and 10K runs that went through town but the feature race was the 8+ miler that starts in front of the town park, weaves it's way through the small town of Hayden and, then, climbs about 1000' in 3 miles on a paved county road up to the top of the Hayden "Cog".  I felt a little out of my element at another road race (wearing trail running shoes, no less) and outgunned by what looked like a few fast dudes (wearing road racing flats).  The entire field of racers for the Cog Run was actually very small, maybe 25-30 people.  I really like the smaller races, it's just more of a homey atmosphere and no huge crowds to get lost in or weave through.  It's also neat to see people who do alot of these races and become more familiar with them.  Again, I saw Don Platt, the 6-time Hardrock 100 finisher, who was running his 24th Cog.  I really admire his longevity and consistency.  At the start, the lead pack took off  fast.  I stuck with them for about 100 yards, looked at my GPS and saw that we were already doing a 6:12/mile pace.   This was way too hot for me so I eased back to a 7:00/mile. "That was humbling,"  I thought.  Once we were out of town, I got a look at the first climb.  I was actually really excited about getting in some good, steady miles of uphill running and that's exactly what I got.  I was able to pull ahead of 3 runners here and find a little breathing room.  I passed one more person on the next steep climb and I tried to keep the effort moderately high without blowing up.  It was a clear and sunny day and the views were getting better and better as we climbed up to the Cog.  It started to get warmer without any sort of cover and I made sure I took a few swigs from my handheld every now and then.   Near the top, Mike Hlavacek passed me and I tried to stay close to him, hoping I might be able to pass him later in the race.  At the turnaround, which I made in :35.19 (8:36/mile),  I was surprised to find that I couldn't keep up with him on the downhill.  I checked my pace on the GPS at one point and it read 5:38/mile, which isn't slow, but it sure seemed like it as I watched Mike gradually increase his lead on me.   His running looked so effortless and I was just amazed at how he just seemed to get faster and faster (or I was getting slower and slower).  At one point, I dug down deep and really tried to catch him but it was just no good.  At least I was pushing myself to run my best.  In the last mile, as I returned to flat road, my legs really started to feel fatigued and I knew I was almost out of gas.  With only one more turn and a little to run, I checked my time and saw that I wouldn't break 1-hour.  (Rats!  Well, I guess I have goal for next year.)   I could feel my legs were going to be upset with me later in the day, so I eased off the pace and rolled through the finish in a modest, but well-earned 1:03.13, 9th finisher.  My downhill split for the second half was  :27.53 (6:52/mile), so not bad, but I would like to get that down into the 6:30/mile range.   Definitely a fun, challenging and humbling race.

6/12 - Off.   Calves are little sore as post-race DOMS sets in and I pulled a muscle in my back at some point yesterday.  I'm feeling 39 today.  Ouch.

Totals:  17.88 miles, ~2,700'v.

Didn't run a whole lot this week but I did work 40 hours which is probably more important.  Well, I guess that's a matter of perspective.  If I didn't need money, I suppose I would run just for the hell of it alot more than I already do.  Anyway, I should start adding a little more volume to my totals once I feel good enough to run again.   

Weekly Summary: May 31 - June 5

5/31 - 3.90 miles, 50:43

6/1 - Off

6/2 - 7.08 miles, 1:25.33, .30 mile cool down, 4:00.13 (1800+' v.).  First time running up to Valley View via the Whistler Park game trail.  The trail gains roughly 1600' from miles 3 to 5 and is exceptionally steep in a few sections.  There are a trio of progressively higher vistas along the way the allow you to great views of the valley.  The descent is fun, starting with  mountain bike single track, followed by dirt road, so you can open up the stride a little bit.   A short run on the bike path and a couple of streets takes me right back home.  


6/3 - 6.55 miles, 1:05.03 (700-800'v.), .1.01 mile cool down, 7.56 miles.   Whistler Park hill workout:  Warm up run to the park followed by some moderate effort trail running before working some short, steep climbs.  After the initial climb, there is a loop trail offers a runnable 150' climb and descent with a flat, recovery section.  I ran  3x150'v., reverse direction 3x150' with .3 mile recovery between ascents.  Progressive effort on each lap had me huffing and puffing but I feel like I am getting stronger. 

6/4 - Off

6/5 - 10.74 miles,  1:42.35 (1500-1700' v.), .35 mile cool down, 4:57.80.  Very little pain in my left foot fascia this morning.  Tendonitis swelling on right heel looks noticably better.  Sick "early season" run on Spring Creek Trail in lieu of doing the Steamboat Half or 10K.  Started on the trail behind the high school and ran all the way up to the canal before doubling back and getting on Spring Creek.  Then, power hiked a steep 150' climb back up to the canal on a rough drainage track, turned around and dropped back down to Spring Creek.  I ran a few uphill miles through the aspens to the 7th bridge (elev. 7902')  before turning around.  My legs were getting a little fatigued but bounced back on the downhill and I had a great time racing down the forested single track, most of the time with a fully swollen Spring Creek raging at my side.  The unmuddy sections were perfectly tacky and easy to grip.  Dealt with a little snow and mud, just enough to keep it fun and I even wanted to get my feet wet towards the end so I ran though a few puddles and drainages.

Totals:  29.85 miles, 3900-4200+' v.

Stepped up the trail vertical a little bit this week.  There's now dry trail up to about 8000' where there are still lingering pockets of snow.  Last year on this day, I was able to run all the way up Spring Creek to Dry Lake and then run a couple more miles up Buffalo Pass Road.   Today, I had to turnaround about a mile short of Dry Lake.

Weekly Summary: May 23 - 30

5/23 - Off

5/24 - Off

5/25 - 8.01 miles, 1:06.xx, (100' -200'v.) -easy cruiser out Hwy 40 towards Rabbit Ears, turned around at 4.0 miles and slightly picked up tempo on the way home.  Been trying to decide how much running I should be doing and, at what effort, to give my feet the best opportunity to heal properly.  It's not very painful to run but the occasional pain during the day is not a great thing.   I don't think not running altogether is the answer. 

5/26 - 5.22 miles, 1:03.43, (1200+' v.) - Ball buster single track run up the ridge behind Whistler Park.  Start with a one-mile-ish warm up and then climb 934' in about a mile.  Made the turnaround in :31.13, then added a short 150' climb after the downhill.  This seriously vertical run has been a favorite test piece of mine for the last 3 years of running around this area.  It's a tough climb every time and I almost always have to hike several sections of the trail.  I can only recall having run the entire trail in the uphill direction one time in the past. 

5/27 - 6.22 miles, 1:0x.xx (800+' v.)  Ran Mad Creek Trail to a little ways past the barn before turning abound and doing a loop up to Saddle Trail and then back down to Mad Creek.  Short cool down on Hot Springs Trail.  Legs definitely sore after back to back days of trail runs.

5/28 - Saturday.  Easy shake down/recovery run.  Leaving for Denver with Katy in the evening.  A couple days away from Steamboat..

5/29 - Off  Slept in, had a big breakfast, went to Coors Field and watched the Rockies with Katy.

5/30 - Off  Another day off in Denver.  Watched a little bit of the Bolder Boulder 10K on TV and thought about running a little bit but other than that, nothing!  Legs feel great though.  Left foot is good enough to run but definitely a little tender in the morning. 

Totals:  19.45 miles, 2.200+' vertical

My next opportunity to race comes next weekend at the Steamboat Half-Marathon or 10K, but I'm not sure if I will run.  Actually, I doubt it.  The last two trail runs I had were so much fun that I am getting alot less motivated to go road running.  The snow should really start melting this week as it warms up a little more and the trails on Howelsen, "out and backs" on Mad Creek and laps up the ridge behind Whistler Park are fun enough in the meantime.

Weekly Summary: May 15 - 22

5/15 - 4.68 miles,  600-700' vertical. 1:03.15.  Ran some trails on Howelsen Hill with Katy and Benihana, including a cool "back door" trail we've never run up to Orton Meadows.  It was a nice, sunny day but, as expected, the trails were rather wet in a lot of places.  We continued over to the southeast side of Howely and ran some of the cross country ski trails and a little single track where the trails were a little drier.

3.82 miles, 150' vertical.  34:47.   Afterwards, I went back out and did a few more miles, first through Whistler Park and then over through Priest Creek subdivision and out to Hwy 40.  Medium hard effort. 

5/16 - Rested

5/17 - Rested

5/18 - Ran about 2 miles with Benihana and picked up Marvin in Whistler Park.  Took a break for a little while and hung out with BA when I brought Marvin back to his house. 

5.93 miles, ~150' vertical, 53:59.  Then, I ran over to the park next to the fire station and ran 4x1 mile repeats.  Working the inclines on the first and third miles and running a little easier (still at a good tempo, though) on miles two and four.  About 8 miles total at a solid training effort.

5/19 -  Plantar fasciitis in my left foot was really hurting in the morning.  Rested the sore foot and a nagging cough that has been with me all week even though I really felt good after work and wanted to go for a run. 

5/20 - 7.01 miles,  1100'+ vertical, 1:01.  This run started out as work and slowly evolved into a good, solid run as I climbed up to 7711' in elevation in the first 4 miles, followed by an equal descent in the last three.  I managed to catch a nice window of no rain for my after work run.  Five minutes after I got home, it was raining sideways.

5/21 - Rested

5/22 - 5.49 miles, 500-750' vertical, 1:09.48. .6 mile cool down, 06:52.   Ran Spring Creek with Benny after getting shut down at Howelsen due to muddy conditions.  Fun, relaxing trail run with a few good-sized hills thrown in for effort.  A few people out on the trails today, taking advantage of a lapse in rain.  Ran just past the second bridge and the trail was too wet and muddy to venture any further with the dog.  He stayed surprisingly clean during this run but probably only because we turned around at this point.  We did a "Y" route and turned right at the trail intersection at did a short 200+' out and back before running back out Spring Creek. 

Weekly totals:  29 miles,  2500'+ vertical feet

My feet have been bothering me more than usual.  Particularly, the plantar fasciitis pain I've been feeling in the mornings.  Tendonitis in my right heel is very tender and has been more noticable while I'm running.  As a result, I've kept my mileage rather modest this week, instead of bumping it up into the 40s as I had originally hoped to be doing.  Basically, I've been cutting one long run of 10 -12 miles out of my weekly schedule.   I'm trying to get my bike dialed in so that I can ride it and cross train.  I need to stay off of my feet when I can.  I think I will try substituting my long run with a long bike ride.

Weekly Summary: May 8 - May 14

5/8 - 7.51 miles, 1200'+ vertical, 1:18.27.  Whistler Park is starting to dry out so I went over and did a few laps (one with Katy!) up on the hill side to work on my trail dexterity some more.  Three solid climbs and descents, interspersed with flatter, winding trail work with plenty of washed out sections.  Plenty of moop (mud/dog poop). Gross.  Still, working the hills felt good and I was able to run, hop and jump over puddles, logs and rocks.  My kind of technical running.

5/9 - 6.54 miles, road run (negligable vertical), 53:57.  First, 2 mile warm-up in 16:29 (8:15/mi. pace), then 3.0 miles in 21:33 (7:10/mi. pace), last mile plus cool down in 8:31.  This was the first time I've tried to do any real speed work.  Since I've decided to focus on shorter races this year, I want to see how fast I can get.  In college (about 18 years ago!), I was a sub-5 minute miler, under 40 minutes for 10K and ran my fastest 10 miles in 63:00.  I'm a hell of alot slower these days, but I'm sure I can train myself to run a little faster and it will be fun to see how much I can improve over the summer.  I think I'm going to do a road race this weekend and I've been trying to decide if I should go 5K or 10K.          

5/10 - 2.98 miles around Whistler Park with Benihana.  1x400' climb and easy run around the park.  Gotta get home and start cooking some ribs for dinner tonight!  Registered to run Spirit Challenge 10K but I am trying to move to the 5K since the Running Series only gives points for the 5.  I think I'm going to get my ass handed to me by the competition but, of course, I'll run my own race and just try to keep the wheels from falling off.

5/11 - 4+ miles.  Ran out Hwy 40 again.  Medium effort fartlek workout.

5/12 - Rest.  Go and eat sushi with beautiful wife-to-be.  Unagi (eel) is so good.

5/13 - Took another rest day.  Felt kind of necessary to keep the legs fresh for tomorrow's 5K.  First time I think I've ever raced this distance (5K).  In college, I ran plenty of 1.5 mile Physical Readiness Test runs for NROTC and about thirty 5 mile, 10K or 10 milers and a couple marathons.  I think it will be fairly difficult to figure out a pace for a 3 mile race.  It might seem short but it's long enough to burn yourself out if you go out too hot.  Especially after a year of training and running ultramarathons where running fast is really the least of your concerns.  I'm looking forward to a new challenge. 

5/14 - Spirit Challenge 5K race.    Half-mile warm up around the Middle School track.  21:33, 6:56/mile.  A beautiful morning, not a cloud in the sky.  The course started at the middle school and worked it's way uphill, first on CR 36 then, on Hot Springs Dr.  A short downhill took us to Butcherknife Canyon and a half mile section of trail.  A few days ago, there was a 2-3" creek running down the middle of the dirt trail but today it was mostly dry with just a couple rivlets of water.  Climbing out on the trail, the race turned left on Amethyst Dr. as it finally peaked out before the last downhill back to the middle school.   I did't know the course until a few minutes before the race and it turned out to be a fun one.  There was plenty of variation in terrain, but it was a mostly challenging uphill course.  The second climb, out of Butcherknife, was a mean little 150 - 200'.  Finished a couple minutes behind Derek Ledigh and Harry Neidl, two guys who typically lead the Running Series in points.

I was glad to see Derek  "D-Money" McClung out there getting a few sunny Steamboat miles this morning.   Looking forward to seeing you at a few more races, buddy.

The coolest things about the race were some of the people I met.   Bennet Gamber, age maybe 6, who ran the 5K barefooted in 23:08.  Sub-8 minute miles for a 6 year old?  Are you kidding?  This kid is going to be really fast when he grows up.  He also rides a mean unicycle.  I also met a really nice man named Don Platt who has finished the Hardrock 100 an incredible 6 times.  If you don't know what the Hardrock 100 is check it here:  http://www.hardrock100.com/.  It's pretty much the hardest 100 miler you can do.   In all, good local action.  Lots of family and kids and just a good community vibe.  (Oh, I also I met another cool guy with Red Sox cap on that my girl would've loved.) 

Totals:  24.63 miles  Vertical:  2,050'

Weekly Summary: May 1 - May 8

5/1 - 7.04 miles (1000').  1:03.52, road with hills, .31 miles, cool down

5/2 - 7.00 miles (1000') 1:10.23, road with hills.  I think I was going for a PR on the hill up Laurel Ln. on this run, but ran into Ross and Tim on the road and stopped to talk.  Still, working on both strength and speed on my runs this week.  Alot more vertical and faster downhill running (6:00 - 6:30 pace)

5/3 - Easy 1.6 mile/ moderate 1.8 mile for 3.4 miles running/3.3 on the bike! - Ran downtown to pick up my bike from JD's.  Then, rode to the store and back home.

5/4 - Chill

5/5 -  6.2 miles, can't remember how this one went down.   

5/6 - 8.36 miles, (1500'), 1:22.00.  Did 2x1.5 mile and 1x1.0++ mile hill repeats on Mad Creek Trail.  Starting to work on getting my trail and climbing dexterity back.  Trails still very soupy in spots where they weren't dry or snowy.  Mad Creek is about 80% dry up to Saddle Trail.

5/7 - 3.56 miles (200+'), 37:52.  Nice casual pace with Katy from the museum to Butcherknife Canyon (trail flooded a couple inches!) and out Spring Creek to the first bridge.

Totals:  39.19 miles ,  3,700 - 4,000' vertical


Another solid 40 (almost) mile week.  Nothing too strenuous or very long.  Mostly, I'm working on getting my climbing legs back and speed on the flats.   I think I'm going to run the first 10K race in the Steamboat Running Series next weekend to see what kind of speed I have.  Plus, it will be fun to see how many points I can rack up in the Series over the course of the summer.  It will be a good gauge for the early season, regardless.  I'm pretty sure I can bring a modest sub-45 minute 10K time to the table, at  least.  If not, I've still got a lot of work to do.  Either way, I've started doing it.  I'm just glad to be running on a little dirt now.  We're supposed to get more rain/snow early in the week then we'll see what happens the rest of the week.  I should do a few flat road runs this next week to make up for the vertical feet I've begun adding to my runs.   Right Achilles still acts up every now and then.  Spring is finally here, though.  Good times.